6 February, 2019: Boeing has made a significant investment in Aerion, a company pioneering in next-generation supersonic aircraft to accelerate technology development and aircraft design, and unlock supersonic air travel for new markets, as per the agreement made by both the companies.
Aerion was founded in 2003 to develop more efficient aerodynamic technologies for supersonic aircraft. In 2014, the company introduced its AS2 12-passenger business jet design and unveiled the AS2’s GE Affinity engine design in 2018.
To bring Aerion’s AS2 supersonic business jet to market, Boeing will provide engineering, manufacturing and flight test resources, as well as strategic vertical content. The first flight of the aircraft is slated in 2023.
The AS2 has the ability to fly at speed of Mach 1.4 or approximately 1,000 miles per hour. It can fly 70 percent faster than today’s business jets. It will save about three hours on a transatlantic flight while meeting environmental performance requirements.